Switch-operating mechanism.



PATENTED JAN. 23, 19'0 6.v

m. amass.

WARD. SWITCH OPERATING MECHANISM.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG 31, 1905.

2 SKBETSSHEBT'2.

A 14 15 F w M J 2 W a y 5 ITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE WARD, OF HOMESTEAD. PENNSYLVANIA. ASSIGNOR OF ONE- EIGHTH TOTHOMAS J. TIERNEY AND ONE-EIGHTH TO FRANK R. AGNEW, OF PITTSBURG,PENNSYLVANIA.

SWITCH-OPERATING MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 23, 1906.

Application filed August 31, 1905. Serial No. 276,517.

-' of Great Britain, residing at Homestead, in

the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Switch-Operating M echanism, of which thefollowing is a specification,

reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings, forming partof this specifi-' II III. Fig. 4 is a plan'vievy similar to Fig.

'1 but showing the switch closed for. main line; I

My invention refers to improvements in switch operatin mechanism forrailways, and is designed. or the purpose of providing means whereby-theswitch may be set b ac tuating mechanisnr'mounted u on the oco motive orcar under the contro of an operator and'so arranged that the switch maybe set at will to throw it to opened or closed position. for main lineor branch line, respec tively.

The invention involves the setting of the.

switch b means of the usual transverse connectingar, actuated at one orboth ends by means of rack-and-pinion gearing, which in turn is actuatedby means of supplemental rack-and-pinion gearingadapted to be 0 eratedby an adjustable abutment locate as stated, on the locomotive orelsewhere on a suitable portion of the rolling-stock.

Iteferring now to the drawings, 2 2 represent the main-line tracks, withwhich cooperate the sWitch-points 3 3 for throwing the cars to the sidetrack 4 4. The switch-points 3 3 are connected by a transverseoperatingbar 5, secured to the switch-points and extending outwardly,preferably at bothsides,

and provided with terminal rack extensions 6.-

7'is a vertical shaft mounted in suitable bearings, one such shaft beinpreferably 10- eated at each side of the trac and carrying at its'lowerportion a pinion 8, engaging a rack-terminal 6 of bar 5, whereby when.

either of shafts 7 is partially rotated bar 5 and the switch-points willbe thrown to .the right or to the left, according-to the desireddirection, and will operate to open or close 7 the switch.

9 is a pack-bar mounted in suitable bearings 10, arranged alongsidethemain track,

preferably at each side, and provided with rack-teeth 11, engagingpinion 12, also mounted on shaft. 7 above pinion 8, both of said inionsbeing secured to the shaft. It will t hus be seen that when motion istransmitted to bar 9 corresponding motion will be transmitted to theswitchshifting mechanism, as stated. At one or both ends bar 9 is alsoprovided with additional rack-teeth 13, engaging pinion :14, mounted onvertical shaft 15, provided at. the to with an extended arm, 16,projecting into t e path of an ad justable abutment 17, r ounted uponthe 10- comotive-or on any other suitable moving element of therolling-stock. As shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, construction is alsoduplicated at'the 0th .1 end of bar 9, the

corresponding elements hing referred to by the same numerals rime, asjust described. Ialso preferably uplicate the same construction at theother side of the track, so that it will be operable from one side orthe other of the locomotive and also in the reverse direction, as willbe readily understood drawings such abutment 17 as consisting of alaterally-movable bar mounted m suitable bearings-and provided with rackteeth 18,

engagedbythe teeth of pinion 19, mounted on a stem 20, provided with anoperating-lever 21 and connected by rod 22 with a shifting- 'lever-23 ofany suitable construction or with any'convenient operating mech anismmounted within the locomotive-cab and in convenient position tobereadily reached by the en- The operation of my inventlon Wlll be readilyunderstood from the foregoing descriptron. By setting the abutment 17outwardly at the right or the left the desired motion will betransmitted to the switchpoint-shifting bar 5, either to the right or tothe left, in order to open or close the main line.

. The location and arrangement of the shift ing abutments 17 the arms 16or 16, and the various other elements of the device may be made to suitthe various conditions of use or adaptation of the invention within theprovince of the designing engineer or skilled mechanic, while variousother changes or modifications may be made in the different details ofconstruction Without departing from the scope of the invention ascovered by the following claims.

What I claim is- 1. In switchoperating mechanism, the combination withmovable switch+points, .of a connecting-bar provided with a side rack, avertical shaft provided with-a pinion engaging said rack, a secondvertical shaft provided with a laterally-projecting arm,

gearing connecting said shaft with the rst-named shaft, and contactingmechanism mounted on a movable element arranged to cooperate with saidmeans, substantlally asset forth.

2. In switch operating mechanism, thecombination with movableswitch-points, of

a connecting-bar provided witli a side rack, a vertical shaft providedWith a-pinion-en-- gaging said rack, a second vertical shaftprovidedwith a laterally-projecting; arm,

' stantially as set forth.

3. In switch-operating mechanism, the combination with adjustableswitch-points,

of a connecting-bar provided with a rack-tor minal, aipinion engagingsaid rack, a pinion adapted to transmit movement to said first pinion, arack-bar engaging said second pin-f pinion,- a rack-bar. engaging saidsecond pinion provided with rack extremity, a pinion engaging-saidrackextremity, with an operstin -shaft and lever therefor, and a movabletrash-supported adjustable abutment arranged to engage said lover totransmit motion to said mechanism, substantially as set forth.

5 The combination with switch-operating mechanism provided with avertical:actuat- 'ing-shaft having a pinion engaging shiftinggearing'and a laterally-projecting arm of anadjustable abutmentmountedupon the 10- comotive, With-means for setting said abutment intoor out of operative relation with saidarm, substantially as set forth.

Intestimony whereof I afiixmysignature in presence of two witnesses.

' GEORGE VVAR-D. Witnesses:

C. M.:GLARKE-, Crime. S; LEPLEY.

